One day while walking to church, Mr Lee noticed a girl in a white dress next to him who had shoes that were way too small for her feet. Questioning himself about this situation, Mr Lee had an idea: “Wouldn’t it be great if there was a shoe that could adjust and expand – so that kids always had a pair of shoes that fit?”

And just like that The Shoe That Grows was born.

This is the first project of Because International, an organization committed to practical compassion.  Founded in 2009 and headquartered in Nampa, Idaho, the main concern of the organization is to listen to those living in extreme poverty to hear their thoughts, ideas, and dreams for a better life – and then work together to help make those ideas into a reality.

The Shoe That Grows is a patented design of an innovative shoe that adjusts and expands.  It was developed in part by a shoe development company in the Northwest called Proof of Concept.

The shoe comes in two sizes, small and large, each growing 5 sizes and lasting at least 5 years:
Small: Grows 5 sizes, from Kindergarten to 4th Grade
Large: Grows 5 sizes, from 5th Grade to 9th Grade. 

The Shoe is made with simple materials – leather, compressed rubber, and snaps.  No mechanical parts of gears to break, making it easy to clean and use. The shoe is also very easy to transport as it compresses into itself so that you can fit 50 pairs of shoes in a regular suitcase weighing under 50 pounds. 

More information about the project on the website BecauseInternational.com.